1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to corkscrews for removing a cork from a wine bottle or the like and, more particularly, to corkscrews that minimize manual effort and fatigue.
2. Description of Related Art
The practice of sealing a bottle with a cylindrical cork has been known for many centuries, and requires that the cork driven into the neck of the bottle in an interference fit must be removed to gain access to the comestible liquid stored within. The simplest tool for removing a cork has been a helical corkscrew, which may be threaded into the soft cork material to gain purchase therein, after which the corkscrew may be pulled coaxially from the bottle neck to free the cork therefrom.
Typically the basic corkscrew is provided with a T-shaped handle to enable a user to grasp the corkscrew so that it may be rotated and threaded into the cork, and to permit a firm grip for pulling the cork out of the bottle. A simple rod or dowel extending diametrically at the outer end of the screw will suffice for these purposes. This simple handle does not provide any mechanical advantage for these tasks, and for those individuals who lack manual dexterity or manual strength, the simple handle is difficult to use effectively. And for those who must remove many corks daily, such as waiters or sommeliers, the repetitive twisting motion to embed the screw in the cork and the pulling gesture to remove the cork may cause repetitive stress injuries to the hands and wrists.
An improved corkscrew known commonly in the art provides a handle from which the helical screw depends from a hinge-like pivot, so that the screw and its sharp tip may be covered and protected by the handle when not in use. The handle is also provided with a folding link that has a distal tip used to engage the lip of the bottle opening after the screw is driven into the cork. The link acts as a fulcrum, and the handle as a lever that creates a substantial mechanical advantage to pull the cork from the bottle opening. This design alleviates much of the manual work required to release the cork from the bottle.
However, there is no effective mechanism known in the prior art for reducing the manual effort required to drive the screw into the cork. That is, once the corkscrew handle is rotated approximately one-half turn to engage the screw tip, the user must release the grip, turn the hand to its unrotated position, re-grasp the handle, and rotate it through another one-half turn to advance the screw. This process must be repeated several times before the screw is sufficiently embedded in the cork so that it may be pulled out successfully. The twisting and re-grasping motions are particularly fatiguing to the hand and wrist. There is a need in the prior art for a better mechanism for accomplishing this portion of the task with greater ease and less effort.